C4 Tech/Performance L98 Corvette and LT1 Corvette Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine

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Old Apr 13, 2021 | 05:24 PM
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Default 1985 C4 Engine issues running very sluggish

So I have a 1985 C4 with 110k on the books, she idles really rough, by that I mean it jumps around like crazy all the way down to 370rpm is the lowest we’ve recorded. When I go to give it gas it stalls out and dies, when it does run on the highway I’m getting a lot of misfires as in I can hear the pops in the exhaust from it. My oil pressure sensor is reading 80 on a cold start. Whenever I go to give it gas on the highway it builds up a lot of power but doesn’t send it anywhere the engine only gets louder and when I let my foot off the gas the car shoots forwards. I’ve replaced the fuel filter, spark plugs, and air filter so far, what else could I need to get her back to life.

Last edited by Moji; Apr 13, 2021 at 05:47 PM. Reason: Changing the title
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Old Apr 14, 2021 | 02:23 AM
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Oil pressure of 80 with a cold start sounds right. I’ll let the “experts” chime in regarding potential fixes for the other symptoms you are facing. Best of luck!
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Old Apr 14, 2021 | 09:10 AM
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Originally Posted by Moji
So I have a 1985 C4 with 110k on the books, she idles really rough, by that I mean it jumps around like crazy all the way down to 370rpm is the lowest we’ve recorded. When I go to give it gas it stalls out and dies, when it does run on the highway I’m getting a lot of misfires as in I can hear the pops in the exhaust from it. My oil pressure sensor is reading 80 on a cold start. Whenever I go to give it gas on the highway it builds up a lot of power but doesn’t send it anywhere the engine only gets louder and when I let my foot off the gas the car shoots forwards. I’ve replaced the fuel filter, spark plugs, and air filter so far, what else could I need to get her back to life.
Does the service engine light come on during any of this? If so, you'd want to pull the codes and start troubleshooting from there. It sounds like the mixture is somehow dramatically wrong. My first guess would be that it's likely one of the sensors giving a bad reading and causing the computer to set the air-fuel mixture incorrectly. Maybe take a look at the connections/condition of things like the throttle position sensor, MAP sensor, coolant temperature sensor, etc.
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Old Apr 14, 2021 | 12:34 PM
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Originally Posted by phaze426
Does the service engine light come on during any of this? If so, you'd want to pull the codes and start troubleshooting from there. It sounds like the mixture is somehow dramatically wrong. My first guess would be that it's likely one of the sensors giving a bad reading and causing the computer to set the air-fuel mixture incorrectly. Maybe take a look at the connections/condition of things like the throttle position sensor, MAP sensor, coolant temperature sensor, etc.
so actually no codes are thrown, my oil temp sensor is broke for a fact. It always I mean always reads low even after heavy load, the car was in terrible condition when I bought it over a week ago and now it’s running just really roughly.
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Old Apr 14, 2021 | 12:34 PM
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Originally Posted by snlshow
Oil pressure of 80 with a cold start sounds right. I’ll let the “experts” chime in regarding potential fixes for the other symptoms you are facing. Best of luck!
it reads almost 80 each time even when idling after a heavy load.
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Old Apr 14, 2021 | 02:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Moji
so actually no codes are thrown, my oil temp sensor is broke for a fact. It always I mean always reads low even after heavy load, the car was in terrible condition when I bought it over a week ago and now it’s running just really roughly.
I think the oil temperature sensor is just used to calculate the oil life / oil change indicator - not to adjust mixture. Others like the MAP/MAF, Coolant Temperature, Intake Air Temperature, Throttle Position sensor, etc. will affect mixture and could cause the engine to run poorly or not at all. Do you have an ALDL cable you could connect and log data?
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Old Apr 15, 2021 | 01:05 AM
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Originally Posted by phaze426
I think the oil temperature sensor is just used to calculate the oil life / oil change indicator - not to adjust mixture. Others like the MAP/MAF, Coolant Temperature, Intake Air Temperature, Throttle Position sensor, etc. will affect mixture and could cause the engine to run poorly or not at all. Do you have an ALDL cable you could connect and log data?
so turns out I had a cracked spark plug out of the new ones I put in, still runs a little slow, but no more misfires. I have an OBD1 tool to read for codes tomorrow. What’s the best set of new downpipes, mine are rusted open and makes the car sound like a lawn mower.
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Old Apr 15, 2021 | 09:01 AM
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Originally Posted by Moji
so turns out I had a cracked spark plug out of the new ones I put in, still runs a little slow, but no more misfires. I have an OBD1 tool to read for codes tomorrow. What’s the best set of new downpipes, mine are rusted open and makes the car sound like a lawn mower.
Glad you got it sorted out. I haven't done any exhaust work on the C4 yet, so we'll have to wait for one of the experts here to possibly weigh in on what's best there...
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Old Apr 15, 2021 | 06:11 PM
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Originally Posted by Moji
it reads almost 80 each time even when idling after a heavy load.
I don't believe 80 is correct in this condition. Dan
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Old Apr 17, 2021 | 01:45 PM
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Agreed. As a supplement to my previous response regarding oil pressure.... 80 on a cold start and 30 ish when hot is how mine behaves.
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